Scattertude

-- I brought in a Christmas present for my cubical mate today, but she called off sick. :(

-- I want to get back into genealogy, but I now remember why I stopped: The demise of the 1890 census.

-- I need a stronger wrist brace. I keep bending the metal stays.

-- I need to figure out what fiber would be best to line a felted wool laptop case with, so static ceases to be a problem.

-- For the last two weeks, the library's WiFi has been slower than my dial-up at home.

-- Cold coffee makes me sad.

-- I'd like to try rhubarb bitters, but I can't find it in stores by us, and I don't want to pay a lot online for it in case I end up not liking it.

-- I've been arguing with a sneeze all morning.

-- I hope I get a mixer soon, before I lose motivation to do my podcast.

-- Can you tell that the ADD is in full swing today?

Knitter Gamers, Harken unto me!

I knew I couldn't be the only one out there!

Whilst looking for some stash-busting patterns over on Ravelry.com, I came across a newly posted pattern for these:



Rock Band Drum Cozies! Designed to be noise reducing covers, they are also a smart idea for storage. Mama Belle, the designer, is selling the pattern in her Etsy shop.

Wishing You a Fun Christmas

URGENT! Toymakers in Danger!

If you make products for children, or know someone who does, please read this article from Etsy about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This act has already been signed into law, and will take effect in February. When it does, tens of thousands of small businesses and sole propriatorships wil be put out of business by cost of the new requirements.

If something is not done, practically all the companies who make perfectly safe toys and other childrens' products will be shut down, and the only remaining companies will be the ones who outsource to the countries who are causing the problems in the first place.

Please act now. Don't let handmade toys become illegal.

Stocking stuffers, Co-worker gifts, Hostess gifts, Consider handmade!

Sales have been very slow for months, but the good news right now is that I still have all this inventory ready to ship for the holidays! Cell phone totes, card wallets, typing gloves, bath mitts, my new soap savers, headbands, barretts, stemware coasters and more are all waiting to be presented to loved ones everywhere.

Please stop by my Etsy shop or my Blujay shop soon so I can send you beautiful things in time for Christmas :)

Stay Tuned for My New Podcast

I've set up a new blog over at KnitMisadventures.blogspot.com. As soon as I have all the equipment, I'll be setting up a monthly podcast over there. Please check it out, and feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and/or recommendations!

Blog Carnival: What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Our family doesn't have any official traditions, per se, but there are some things that seem to play out the same every year, and brings a smile to my face every time.

The turkey is in the oven or on the grill, or in the smoker (however we are preparing it that year), and all the advance food prep has gone about as far as it can. Everyone adjourns to the great room. The TV is turned on and tuned in to the Lion's football game, and everyone finds a comfy spot to sit and watch the game.

Thus begins the group nap. Some don't even make it to kick-off (*blushes and raises hand*), and by the end of the first quarter, everyone in the house is snoozing comfortably. By the end of the game, most are up and about again, and dinner prep resumes in full force.

Even asleep, though, it's some pretty good family together time, though :)

Featured EtsyBlogger: StoryBeader

This November, the EtsyBloggers Street Team is featuring StoryBeader. Her shop is filled with gorgeous handmade jewelry, and every piece comes with a unique hiaku, written by the artist. This makes each piece a true work of art that no one else will ever have. Please check out her shop and blog and show her some Etsy love!

Betani's Bureau on Facebook

Just a quick announcement that I've made a Facebook Page for Betani's Bureau. It needs a lot of work yet, but hopefully it will become a good place for updates and advertising. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Cozy, cozy, cozy, cozy, cozy...

Yarn: Paton's Bohemian
Pattern: Shaker Slippers
Needles: Sz 13
Size: Pontoon

Come Back!

Wow, since I started posting my NaNoWriMo updates, you all disappeared! You have my word, no more bad fiction! Come back! I miss you! I promise I'll be more intersting ;)

NaNoWriMo - Day 3

Betty walked a little faster as she crossed a derilect parking lot. Circling around the park took time, and the looming clouds overhead didn’t look like they wanted to offer her much time to get to her makeshift shelter, such as it was. She gingerly made her way down the embankment at the far end of the lot and began walking along the overgrown railroad tracks that had long since fallen into disuse. With every step, she both cursed where she was and wished to be somewhere far off to make a brand new start. She didn’t much care where. Just somewhere where she could keep the past in the past and never have to think of it again.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled suddenly. Her pace slowed, and she looked around. She would have sworn someone was watching her. Seeing no one around, she continued on along the tracks, still more slowly, despite the increasing wind and chill air. She still had several hundred yards before there was a passable way to climb up to the park where her tree awaited.

She smirked bitterly to herself. Her tree. It had only been a week and a half, and here she was, laying claim to a bent old pine tree as her new home. Well, the closest she could get to a home right now, anyway.

She stopped. There it was again. Stronger this time. Someone or something was following her. She couldn’t see or hear anything, but she was sure of it. She folded her arms and stood defiantly where she stopped. She searched long and hard for her hiding spot, and no way was she going to risk it being discovered. She glared around her, daring her persuer to come out. The air around her got strangely quiet. The wind had stopped, and there was no other sound to be heard. The silence stretched on for an almost painfully long time, but Betty stood her ground.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, the apparent battle of wills ended. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard a disgruntled “Hmph” as the wind picked back up and conditions returned to normal. Betty stayed where she was another half minute or so, just for good measure, then pulled her jacket tight and resumed walking. The further she walked, the more ridiculous the whole incident seemed. She was prone to flights of imagination, especially when her emotions were working overtime. It had to be a simple case of paranoia. There was just no other explanation.

She slowed again, just to help calm her nerves. Her footfalls became almost rhythmic as she watched the railroad ties pass out of her vision one by one and tried to clear her mind.

NaNoWriMo - Day 2

She couldn’t admit to herself that she had no clue what to do. As she wound her way up and down the city streets, she casually felt around in the pockets of her jeans, then her jacket, then the small shoulder bag she tried to pass off as a purse. The last bits she was able to salvage before the firefighters caught her and dragged her out of her burning home. A handful of cash, half a pack of gum, a small photo of her and Gram taken in a photo booth in a moment of silliness long ago, and the usual assortment of things a woman carries with her that she thinks are important when the world is still sunshine and roses. Fat lot of good most of it did her now.

Betty pushed away a group of inconvenient oncoming memories and tugged her jacket a little tighter as the air took on the chill of evening. Looking back wouldn’t get her anywhere. She looked up at the sky and noticed the approaching dark clouds. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought her dark mood had summoned them. She took the cue and changed her course to her recently discovered hiding place where she had take residence the last few nights.

She was actually quite proud of her resourcefulness in finding her makeshift camp site at the back of the park. It was close to the railroad tracks, but that actually worked in her favor in terms of not wanting to be found out. The oldest pine tree in the cluster of trees looked quite full and lush from the outside, but when Betty called upon her childhood hide-and-seek skills, she pulled back one of the low boughs and revealed that most of the inside branches were dried and broken off. Once cleared out, the tree was roomy enough to sleep without worry of being found.

As she crossed the street toward the park, a quick glance at the parking lot told her double back to avoid the people taking their sweet time packing up and going home.

NaNoWriMo Day 1

The aged wooden bench just outside the old public library entrance was a bit cold when she first sat down, but luckily it didn’t take long for her body temperature to make sitting there bearable in the chill of the autumn afternoon. Betty would have much preferred to stay in front of the courthouse on the much nicer contoured fiberglass bench donated by the local art school, but the longer she lingered there, the more uncomfortable she felt. She couldn’t help but feel the eyes of people who noticed she didn’t have anywhere to go.

The day from Hell had already turned into the week from Hell, and now it was beginning to look like the month from Hell. In fact, this was beginning to look like a permanent condition. She sighed and slumped down slightly on the bench, hoping to look like she was thinking about something, or perhaps waiting for someone, rather than fighting of the hopelessness she actually felt. For the umpteenth time she recounted her downfall, wishing there was someplace where she could slip into the past and figure out how to stop the madness before it could run its course. It barely felt like any time had passed since she had come home to her apartment to find it half empty. When she reported the break in to the landlord, he informed her that her ex-boyfriend told him she allowed him to come back and retrieve the last of his belongings. Apparently, her landlord was oblivious to how unamicable their break-up really was. The constant yelling and verbal abuse Betty had endured in the last weeks of their relationship hadn’t phased him in the least.

She thought her life had hit an all-time low as she spent hours at the police department filling out forms and going through all the red tape of the police reports. When she lost her job at the county records office in a thinly veiled act of nepotism, she wished things were as simple as filing the police report again. But when the gas main break in her neighborhood caused an explosion that set her apartment ablaze, she began to wonder if she wasn’t downright cursed.

It was incredibly difficult to come to terms with being suddenly homeless. Betty didn’t even want to allow the word to enter her thoughts. How could it even be possible? She’d always been very independent. She’d been estranged from her parents for a very long time. She didn’t even know if they were still alive, let alone where they might live now. She had no brothers or sisters, and her only real family was her grandmother, who she had taken care of until she passed away four years ago. With no close friends to speak of, there was no one she could turn to, or even talk to. She shifted uncomfortably on the bench. As if echoing her thoughts, the streets and sidewalks around her were devoid of any people just then. The word ‘alone’ seemed so inadequate.

She tried to force away the lonliness for the moment to take advantage of the few moments she could be sure no one could see her. Stupid damnable pride. She wasn’t dumb. She knew there were people and organizations that would be willing to help. But to seek them out would be admitting defeat in Betty’s mind. She rubbed her eyes to make sure the tears she was holding back hadn’t escaped. She was strong, and if anyone was going to pull her out of this mess, it would be her and her alone. Shelters and charities were for people who needed them. Not her.

The glass and metal doors behind her gave a short, jovial squeak as a gaggle of giggling librarians left the building, happy their shift was over for the day and they could speak above a hush again. The ones that caught sight of her smiled and waved as they passed. Betty screwed up her determination and did an admirable job of smiling and waving back. As the flock of women continued on to the parking lot, one of them paused a few feet away from Betty’s bench and reguarded her.

“Are you waiting for your ride, dear?” she asked in that friendly, helpful voice that seems to be a prerequesite for a degree in library science. “You can use the phone at the desk if you need to.”

“Oh, no, that’s allright. I’m sure it won’t be much longer,” she bluffed. “Thank you, though.”

“Are you sure,” the woman began. Betty cut her short with a friendly nod and a smile that was harder to manage each time she tried. “Well, if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to ask at the desk. Have a good day, dear!” And with that, the straggling librarian jogged to catch up with her cohorts. Betty watched them until they were out of sight.

When she was sure they wouldn’t come back for anything they might have forgotten, Betty casually got up and walked away from the building. She scolded herself for staying in one place too long. If anyone caught on, she would die of shame.

Thirty Days and Nights of Literary Abandon

It's that time of year again. The time when I turn into a frenzied, high-strung, over-caffeinated hermit for 30 days, in hopes that I can write fifty thousand words of something that resembles a story.

I want to be held accountable this year, though. If I actually write 1667 words a day (which really only amounts to two hours of writing and shouldn't be unreasonable), I can actually win this year.

What I propose is this: Starting day 2, I will post the previous day's writing here on the blog, and you all cheer or boo as necessary. You don't mind reading total dreck, do you?

Thank you, Everyone!

Gigantic fluffy thanks to all you who sponsored me in the Extra Life 24-hour gaming marathon to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Texas Childrens Hospital is one of the premier centers for the research and treatment of children with cancer, and with your help, I was able to raise $471. The event has brought in over $100,000 so far, and was a huge success!

Hours 18-21 and the last 10 minutes were the hardest. Enormous thanks go to my wonderful husband for staying up with me as long as he could and feeding me caffeine at regular intervals until my second wind arrived.

I'm floored. Blown away.

I just got out of a staff meeting at the library and things look bleak. No one knows what the future will hold for us, or who will have a job and who won't in the next two years. It's a harsh reality that many others are facing, too. And yet, when I sat back down at my desk to check up on various online goings-on, I found that the original goal I'd set for the Extra Life fundraiser had well been exceeded! As of this writing, my sponsorship total has reached $336!

My heart jumped from the bottom of my stomach to the top of my throat. It was humbling and exhilarating at the same time. No matter what happens with our jobs and paychecks, there is something out there bigger than all of us. And when we can help out in any way, no matter how big or small our contribution, we are all better off for the effort.

I've seen what cancer can do. I've seen it break and destroy one of the strongest fighters I knew. To think of what it does to the most vulnerable among us... I can't just stand here, knowing it's happening, and not do anything to help. You can help, too. Even if you only have $2 to spare, that still pushes the research and treatment further than it otherwise would have been.

I've updated my goal. Let's see if we can break $400 before the game-athon. If you would rather mail a paper check, you can click here for a printable donation form.

There's still time.

On the Needles

I've started a new cardigan for myself. It's a Drops pattern I got from Ravelry, but I chose a different color. The colors aren't what I expected, but I like it anyway, and it gives me an excuse to knit another later on ;).



I'd like to be able to make some for my shop, but I don't know if people would pay what I would have to charge. The yarn itself cost $50, and it's a lot of work, being sock yarn on size 4 needles. What do you think? Is it worth a try? Are there people out there who understand what goes into hand-knit clothes and are willing to pay what they are worth?

Extra Life: Play Games, Heal Kids

On October 18, 2008, I will be joining gamers from all around the world in an effort to raise money for Pediatric Cancer research and treatment. It is a 24-hour gaming marathon set up by the fellows at Sarcasticgamer.com.

Cancer is horrible, and cancer in children is unthinkable. My goal is to get 8 people to sponsor me at $1 per hour, but any contribution will help boost me to my goal of $192. If you would like to help, please visit my fundraising page. You can sponsor per hour, or just give a flat amount of whatever you can afford. Donations are collected safely and securely through PayPal.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and thank you even more for any help you can give to help these kids.

Side Effects and Inflicted Obsessions

Did I ever mention that all my prescriptions went on strike at the same time a few months ago? Anyway, I started new script #3 yesterday. My ADD is pretty bad, and my performance at work has been suffering. Anyway, I've taken the last two days off work because taking all these pills has me feeling pretty wonky. My energy levels are totally unpredictable.

Anyway, after taking the Straterra™ for the first time yesterday (in addition to the Cymbalta™ and Concerta™), I did something out of character for me. I sent email.

DAHN! DAHN! DAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Oh, hush. Let me explain.

At the best of times, it takes forever to email my own family. I can write, but writing for correspondence is my weakest point. But yesterday, I not only wrote an email, but one to someone I don't know. Someone well known it what they do, at that. That's right, I wrote a fan email. A fan email asking permission to promote them via geocaching. What the heck is wrong with me!? I live in a shell! Under a rock!

Today, there's a reply sitting in my inbox, but I'm too embarrassed to open it. I haven't taken today's dose of meds yet, and I'm hesitant. I don't want to embarrass myself again. We'll see how I feel when the water is done filtering and getting cold, I guess.

Tendonitis is getting the better of me now, so I must sign off. In the meantime, I hereby subject you all to my new obsession.

Decoder Ring Theatre

Great pulp in the style of golden age radio, this podcast is. Superheros, hard-boiled detectives, space adventures, and hyper-enthusiastic announcers. It's got it all.

SSK: If I didn't know it before...

Boy, do I know it now! I was going through sock withdrawl lately, so I trekked myself down to my Local Yarn Shop to pick up some yarn that I couldn't really afford, but just HAD to have:



So, armed with my new yarn, I surfed over to Ravelry and found a pattern called Smaug, which looked a little like dragon scales. It used the SSK stitch, which I wasn't very good at, but I HAD to have these socks. Fortunately, my recent addiction of podcasts put an episode of the Knit Picks Podcast that addressed it recently. There I learned the trick that if you slip the first stitch as if to knit, then the second as if to purl, then knit them together, it lays much nicer than if you slip both as if to knit. The socks aren't turning out half bad, if I do say so myself:

Welcome to the world, little baby boy!

Welcome, little Max! We all waited a long time for you, you know. The loss in the past made it nearly unbearable, but you are worth every second of every minute, of every hour, of every day of every year.

Congratulations, Susie and Chuck. He's beautiful :)

On the needles, and out of the washer

First of all, a huge thank you to all who have commented on my last post, and who have responded to my poll. And if you haven't yet, please do! The poll will be open through the month, and constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome and encouraged.

I wanted to document some proof that I'm actually crafting these days and not just puttering around on all my new social networking sites ;)



This is a prototype of a shawl I'm working on. This was inspired by the very first few rows of a pattern from the Secret Knitting Podcast. When I accidently saw the photo of the finished project, I decided to take what little I'd started with and see what else I could do with it.




I'm also working on a cotton lace boatneck sweater which is a free pattern from KnitPicks.com.




And finally, fresh out of the washing machine, a load of Tiny and Micro Totes. Once they dry, I'll pull out the "Oopses", then tack buttons on the good ones.

Now I'm off to work on that shawl some more.

Room For Improvement

Happy September, everyone :)

Sometime over the weekend, my Blog got it's first rating over at BlogCatalog.com I am now currently rated 2 out of 5 stars. I feel the rating is deserved, since this page is still very amateur feeling. But the mystery rater did not leave any comments about what they felt was lacking or needing improvement.

So, dear readers, I ask for your feedback. Opine to me. Is there anything on my page that you feel really shouldn't be on here? Should I maintain two blogs, one personal, and one store related? What type of content would you like to see? Should I offer free patterns or product give aways? Should I review craft products and tools that I use? How often should I update? Once a week? Once a month? Once a day?

I vigorously encourage, and would vastly appreciate any comments and suggestions you can give.

Featured Friend: Tsurfer

Allow me to introduce my good friend Tsurfer! She is a fellow seller on both Etsy and Blujay. T is very impressive at the sewing machine, making and selling all kinds of great things for young and grown, alike.

From top to bottom, some of my favorite examples of her goods include a fabulous, bright and cheery purse, one of her famous Dammit Dolls (I have one of these at work, and it gets quite the workout!), and an absolutely adorable pillowcase dress for those absolutely adorable little girls in your life :)

Please stop by her shop. She is very talented and makes wonderful things. Tell her Betani sent you, and see if she rolls her eyes ;)

Silly Hypothetical Quandry

I was off-handedly thinking about copyright issues lately, and there's something I'm wondering. I'm going to give a silly example so you know it's hypothetical.

Let's pretend I'm a painter by trade. One day, I set up and paint a still life. In this still life, I included Mr. Potato Head™. I finish the painting and put it up for sale. Could Hasbro™ come along and sue me? And if they did, would I be in the wrong?

What do you think? Should one avoid painting a nostalgiac scene of beloved childhood memories because something they loved back then is still trademarked today?

Scattertude

Yes, the ADD is in full swing today. I shall commemorate it with a bulleted stream of consciousness:

• I'm finally reconnecting with some old friends I found on Facebook. I used to scoff at most social networking sites, but now I embrace them, as evidenced by the new links down there on the left.
• I think my podcast addiction has reached an unhealthy level. It's only been a couple weeks since I discovered the wonder, and yet I have 143 subscriptions on my PDA so far. And that's after I pared down the list.
• I'm out of coffee, and someone took the donut I wanted.
  
• I can't think of any new ideas for NaNoWriMo this year. I think I might cheat and work on the story I started last year, since I hardly did 2,000 words on it.
• I feel a blood sugar drop coming on.
• In an odd way, sometimes children's non fiction books are sometimes more helpful than their adult counterparts.
• I miss M*A*S*H. Why don't they make TV shows like that anymore?
• Is 12 tabs too many to have open regularly in a browser?
• Pound cake probably isn't the best option when dealing with hypoglycemia.
• I really want to go geocaching tonight. I hope The Hubby is up to it.
• Is it a bad thing that I'm 32 and still don't drive?
• I wonder if they still do the balloon race in Science Olympiad.
• Gramma's 92nd birthday party was really nice on Sunday.
• It's hard to find a place willing to wholesale to a home based craft business.
• The new "Tax Reform" is going to kill libraries, schools, and all public services in the state.
• I should buy stock in Goo Gone.
• I wonder what the hex values of the colors on my business card are.
• There are too many printers running right now. No cool rhythm anymore. And the folding machine throws the whole beat off.
  
• I wonder if anyone makes relief versions of famous paintings so blind people can touch them to find out what they look like.
• There aren't enough bullets in the world for my thought processes.

This has been a random collection of incoherent thoughts, brought to you by Betani's Bureau. Thanks for tuning in.

Claiming Technorati Page (Nothing to see here, move along)

Technorati Profile

Revamping the pics

Ok, so my last post was a bit of a downer. Sorry about that. *sheepish lopsided grin*

While business is still slow across the board, I'm still focusing on the housekeeping end of the business. Currently, photographs. I am realizing that the pictures of my products leave much to be desired, both in the technological settings of the camera, and the composition of the subject.

My camera is getting old, but I want to get the absolute most out of it before I have to upgrade, so I may have to lean heavily on the creativity end of things. Critiques and suggestions are greatly appreciated and enthusiastically encouraged.

Click here for the Etsy shop
Click here for the Blujay shop

Sometimes I wonder...

This post is going to be a bit "diary-like", so feel free to skip if you like.

Sometimes I wonder if I've taken on too much. A few months ago, I said I'd soon have my own storefront in addition to my Etsy and Blujay stores. Well, obviously that hasn't happened yet. I bought the domain name, but it still points to my Etsy store. I've also been having trouble keeping up with this blog, which I SWORE to myself that I wouldn't ever abandon.

In no particular order, here are some of the many worries vying for my attention:


* All of my prescriptions went on strike and stopped working at the same time, prompting many doctor visits to switch/re dose/reevaluate everything.

* My day job is in major financial trouble thanks to our governor, and we are scrambling to find ways to keep from being laid off.

* Family goings-on present us with the possibility of needing to move very soon, but affordable/appropriate housing seems to be nowhere to be found.

* I am constantly using system restore on my new laptop, because it inexplicably keeps forgetting I have any other drives besides C.

* Inventorying my supplies and products is insanely more involved than I ever thought it would be.

* I am feeling an urgent need to scour the web any chance I get for money-saving tips of any kind to help pull us out of the livid red.

* I'm having all kinds of trouble with a certain vendor at my day job, and the problems I need to contact them about keep mounting, making it very hard to keep my cool.

* ...



Ok, I'm gonna stop listing these things for now, as it's stressing me out to think of it all.

In reality, I'm sure things aren't as bad as I'm making them out to be, but there are certain feelings I just can't shake. I can't help but feel responsible when something is remotely not the way it's supposed to be, then I can't help but beat myself up for not doing enough to make things right. I beat myself up because, in my mind, someone has to. Someone needs to be reprimanded for things not being the way they are supposed to be.

Somewhere there is a sliver of sanity that knows these feelings are ridiculous and unnecessary. When I recognize that sliver of sanity, I desperately try to shut off my brain and call upon my alter ego, Betani, to take over and steer me toward reason.

Don't worry folks, I don't have Multiple Personality Disorder or anything. There is a small part of my brain that is able to disassociate from the baggage of my fears and reservations and actually get things done. This part of my personality is so different from my natural state that I decided to call it my alter ego and give it a name. That's why I named my store after her. Without Betani, I never would have started my crafting business. She is the one who picks up the receiver whenever I need to make a phone call. (Yes, I'm that shy.) She's also egging me on to write this post and expose my vulnerabilities. I am sure that she will be the one to click the publish button, too.

At any rate, I guess what I'm saying is, it's gonna be quite some time before I can finally think about my own website. I will do my utmost to keep up here, despite not really knowing if anyone really reads this. If you don't see me update for a while, go ahead and leave a comment asking where I am. I thrive on feedback, and if I know people are out there and visit this blog, I will be much more encouraged to keep up with things.

If you've gotten this far, thank you so much for letting me sound off. It means a great deal to me to know there are people out there who care.

Boring Ole' Business Stuff

Ah, it's that very slow time of year in the craft selling, when sales have pretty much come to a halt. People just don't want to sit in front of their computers and shop for knitted things. And I can't blame them!

So, the last couple months I've been working on the mind-numbing business side of the world. Setting up a customer database and taking a full inventory, and all the while brainstorming up new product ideas to use with my mountains of excess supplies.

If anyone reading this is also in the crafts selling business, I would be remiss if I didn't spread the word about the inventory management software I found. A company called WakefieldSoft has a wonderful little program called DoInventory. You can get it for your Palm, PocketPC, or just your desktop PC. It is very customizable and easy to use, and it will support a barcode scanner if you wish.

Here are screenshots from all three platforms. From top to bottom: Palm, PocketPC, Desktop.








There is a fully functional demo you can download and try for two weeks to see if it will work for you. Give it a shot! You've got nothing to lose for trying it. It beats the pants off of all the freeware programs I've tried, and it's not overly bloated with things I'll never use like the higher priced titles.

Testing, 1,2,3...

I downloaded a nifty little program that should let me post from my new PDA. This is just a test to see if I set it up correctly.

Introducing my new BluJay store!

Now up and running, buy your authentic handmade Betani's Bureau merchandise on BluJay!
PayPal and Google Checkout accepted.

I'm still working on my own website, but it's on hiatus until business picks up. This does give me more time to make it just right before launching, though ;)

Stay tuned for more venues!

I've decided I need to expand. The governor has it in for libraries in this state, and job opportunities are slim for people who don't drive. So, I think my store could use some more exposure in a couple new venues.

Keep an eye out for my goodies at BluJay.com, and in my very own storefront, as soon as I get hosting for betanisbureau.com! No, I'm not leaving Etsy. Perish the thought! The community is great there, and I've got a good customer base. I'm just hoping to catch a broader market by branching out, and hopefully to someday make that elusive profit!

Featured Friend: Darcy777

I'd like you all to meet my Crochet Goddess, Darcy. She makes fabulous Waldorf toys and food (of which I'm becoming an avid collector), great catnip toys, wonderful soap saver sacks, water bottle holders, and tons of other goodies!

Bad Betani!

Poor little blog! How I've neglected you!

Family problems have been distracting me lately, but I'm beginning to get back into the swing of things.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates as things get put back in order!